Hungary's veteran nationalist leader Viktor Orban conceded defeat on Sunday after a landslide election victory by the opposition Tisza party, which was welcomed by European leaders.
In a setback for his allies Russia and US President Donald Trump, Mr Orban's 16-year rule was brought to an end by the pro-EU Tisza party of Peter Magyar.
Results based on 46 per cent of votes counted showed the centre-right party winning 135 seats – or a crucial two-thirds majority – in the 199-member parliament, ahead of Mr Orban's Fidesz party.
"The election results are not final yet, but the situation is understandable and clear," Mr Orban said at the Fidesz campaign offices. "The election result is painful for us, but clear."
Mr Magyar's success was welcomed by European leaders, who had disagreed with Mr Orban over his support for Russia.
Ursula von der Leyen, EU Commission President, said Europe’s heart was "beating stronger in Hungary tonight".
"Hungary has chosen Europe. Europe has always chosen Hungary. A country reclaims its European path. The Union grows stronger. Together we are stronger," Ms von der Leyen said.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he had spoken with Mr Magyar to congratulate him on his victory.
"France welcomes what has been a victory in terms of people taking part in the democratic process, and a victory which shows the attachment of the Hungarian people to the values of the European Union and for Hungary's role in Europe," he said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz congratulated "dear Peter Magyar", saying: "The Hungarian people have decided. My heartfelt congratulations on your electoral success. Let’s join forces for a strong, secure and, above all, united Europe."
Pollsters predicted a record voter turnout, with Hungarian TV showing long queues outside some voting stations in Budapest. Data half an hour before polls were due to close showed 77.8 per cent of voters casting their ballots, up from 67.8 per cent four years earlier.
If the final results confirm the early readings, an end to Mr Orban's 16-year period in government would have significant implications not only for Hungary, but for the EU, Ukraine and beyond.
It would probably spell an end to Hungary's adversarial role inside the EU, possibly opening the way for a €90 billion ($105 billion) loan to Ukraine that was blocked by Mr Orban.
Defeat could also mean the eventual release of EU funds to Hungary that the bloc had suspended due to what Brussels called Mr Orban's erosion of democratic standards.
His exit would also deprive Russian President Vladimir Putin of his main ally in the EU and send shockwaves through western right-wing circles, including the US.
In Hungary, a Tisza victory could open the way for reforms that the party says would aim to combat corruption and restore the independence of the judiciary and other institutions.
But the extent of such reforms will depend on whether Tisza can secure the two-thirds constitutional majority it would need to reverse much of Mr Orban's legacy.
Economic stagnation
Mr Orban, a eurosceptic, carved out a model of an "illiberal democracy" seen as a blueprint by Mr Trump's Make America Great Again movement and its admirers in Europe.
But many Hungarians have grown increasingly weary of Mr Orban, 62, after three years of economic stagnation and soaring living costs, as well as reports of oligarchs close to the government amassing more wealth.
Mr Magyar appears to have successfully tapped into this frustration.
Mr Orban sought to cast Sunday's election as a choice between "war and peace". During campaigning, the government blanketed the country with signs warning that Mr Magyar would drag Hungary into Russia's war with Ukraine, something he strongly denies.
